Sell Custom Reading Lists as a BookTok Creator

BookTok creators can sell a custom reading list by pricing a text-based question for one quick pick and a scoped custom request for a full curated list with notes. The follower pays up front, submits their preferences, and the creator delivers the list on a stated turnaround — no publisher deal, book box, or follower threshold required. Custom Work lets you offer clearly scoped commissions and services: you set the price, the scope and the delivery time, and followers submit a brief and pay before you start.

Source note: Brillay's pricing page has the current fee details for creators (brillay.com/pricing).

"What should I read next?" is one of the most repeated comments on a BookTok video, and it usually gets answered for free. The community is enormous: more than 75 million posts have been created globally using the #BookTok hashtag, according to TikTok Newsroom's 19 March 2026 announcement. Retail analysts put a number on what those recommendations move: TikTok Newsroom reports that more than 50 million books recommended by the #BookTok community were sold across Europe in 2025, generating €800 million in revenue, "according to new analysis of sales data from NielsenIQ BookData and Media Control" (TikTok Newsroom). That figure attributes tracked retail sales to #BookTok-recommended titles; it is not a per-video conversion measurement, and TikTok publishes no click-to-purchase model behind it. A link in your TikTok bio that works from your first follower: no threshold to clear, no region rule, and the follower pays you directly for a question, a commission, a video, a tip or a goal.

"#BookTok shows how community and discovery on the platform translate into real world impact, helping readers find new authors and driving millions of book purchases across Europe." — Thomas Wlazik, General Manager, Europe, Global Business Solutions, TikTok, TikTok Newsroom

What are you trading for a free comment-section reply?

A free comment reply costs nothing to give and nothing to keep: it is public, a few lines long, and buried once the video stops trending. A priced reading list trades reach for depth — the reader submits genres, comps, and hard nos up front, then gets a private, keepable answer on a stated delivery time.

The market evidence that a single trusted recommendation carries weight is BookTok-specific. In Germany alone, 28 million books recommended on TikTok were sold in 2025, generating €482 million — more than double the 12 million sold in 2023, per TikTok Newsroom's analysis with Media Control. Media Control's German research also found that around two-thirds of 16-to-39-year-olds say creators influence their book purchases at least to some extent (TikTok Newsroom) — a self-reported influence measure, not a purchase-tracking figure. The same research found more than a third of 16-to-39-year-olds discover new books on #BookTok (TikTok Newsroom).

"Titles that gain momentum within the community quickly translate into real demand in bookstores." — Ulrike Altig, Managing Director, Media Control, TikTok Newsroom

You do not need to turn every comment into a sales pitch: answer casual questions freely, then offer a paid list when a reader wants recommendations matched to their taste, hard nos, and existing TBR. The line worth drawing is between a generic public suggestion and a request that asks you to think about one person's taste, and the second is genuinely hard work: US print book sales reached 762.4 million units in 2025, a 0.3% increase over 2024, as reported by Publishers Weekly from Circana BookScan point-of-sale data.

On Brillay, followers pay upfront by card as guests, send the preferences you ask for, and you deliver the reading list by the date you set (Brillay, how-it-works).

What is the fastest way to sell a single book recommendation?

The fastest paid format is a text-based question priced for one book. Brillay's how-it-works page explains that delivery is asynchronous: you reply on your own time within the window you set, with no live call or scheduling.

That shape fits a Paid Question. Requests that work well in the format:

• "I loved The Atlas Six — what's one lesser-known dark academia pick I haven't seen?"
• "One cozy mystery for a plane ride, nothing too heavy."
• "One romantasy with a slow burn and no cheating, please."

Price the question for the judgment it takes, not the length of the answer. "One book, one mood, one comp title" is a clearer scope than an open-ended promise to "help you find something good."

Should a reading list be a paid question or a full service?

Use a paid question when the answer is one book in plain text. Use Custom Work when the follower wants multiple titles, notes on each pick, a file to keep, or a recorded audio walkthrough delivered as a file. Brillay's Custom Work delivers "a written note plus up to 5 files (video, audio, images, PDF, Word, Excel, or PowerPoint), and/or a private link".

With Custom Work, the number of books, what the follower receives, the fixed price, and the delivery time are written down before anyone pays. A five-book list stays within the scope you set: if a reader asks for a 20-book syllabus instead, you can decline before starting, the request closes, and the follower keeps their money.

What should you charge for a quick pick versus a five-book list?

Price on the time curation actually takes, not the word count you send back. A defensible anchor is professional readers'-advisory labor: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $68,270 for librarians and library media specialists in May 2025 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook) — roughly $33 an hour across a 2,080-hour year.

Applying that anchor gives a starting grid. The prices and durations below are illustrative arithmetic from the BLS figure, not market rates or an earnings guarantee:

You set the delivery time for each Custom Work offer, up to 5 days. The free professional alternative is far slower, which is the honest benchmark: Denver Public Library's Personalized Reading List service tells requesters "we'll send you 5-8 recommendations in about a week" at no charge (Denver Public Library). A paid BookTok list competes on speed, taste, and the specific voice the reader already follows — not on beating free.

What lands in your account is the price minus two deductions. Brillay's pricing page states: "The reader pays only the displayed price. Creator earnings = reader payment − platform fee − processing fee". Stripe's published pricing lists 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card transaction in the US (Stripe). On a $45 list, that is $3.60 in platform fee and about $1.61 in processing, leaving roughly $39.80; on a $15 quick pick, roughly $13.07.

What should a custom-reading-list listing include?

A complete listing states six things: the input the reader submits, the list length, the exact deliverable, the no-revision policy, the delivery time, and what is excluded. Public library readers'-advisory forms are a working model — they collect reader age band, format, and up to three categories before anyone writes a recommendation.

• Input: Genre, mood, favorite comps, and anything to avoid (tropes, content warnings, formats). Genre granularity is worth asking for: TikTok's #BookTok Bestseller List now tracks 17 genres, including separate Young Adult and New Adult lists. Denver Public Library's own form asks the requester to pick a reader type, a format, and up to three categories, and warns that "the more information you provide, the better the recommendations we can give you".
• List length: A fixed number — five books rather than an open-ended pile.
• Deliverable: A written list, a short document with one-line notes per pick, or a voice walkthrough — all covered by Custom Work's note-plus-files delivery.
• No-revision policy: State that no swaps or revisions are included.
• delivery time: Choose a delivery time you can reliably meet, up to 5 days.
• Exclusions: What isn't included — full reviews of every title, or ongoing follow-up chat.

A five-book list can represent more than a typical reader's whole year: the median American read just two books in 2025, with 40% reading none at all, according to a YouGov survey of US adults, while 19% of Americans read 10 or more books (YouGov). Both audiences exist on BookTok, and the notes explaining each pick matter as much as the titles.

Example listing text: "Five books matched to your favorite genre and mood, with one line on why each fits. No swaps are included. The deliverable covers title recommendations with one-line notes."

Related reading: how to Write a custom request Offer covers scoping a listing so requests stay inside what the reader actually bought.

What else can BookTok creators sell besides reading lists?

Reading lists don't have to be the only paid option on a BookTok page. Personalized Videos cover celebration and hype requests — a congratulations video for finishing a series, a release-day hype video, an in-character birthday message — and Tips let supporters who liked a free recommendation send a one-time thank-you, with nothing to deliver in return. Keeping each in its own offer stops reading-list scope from creeping.

Put Paid Questions, Personalized Videos, Custom Work, Tips, Goals, and Brand Collaboration Inquiries on one Brillay link. Set prices where payment applies, and set delivery times for Paid Questions, Personalized Videos, and Custom Work. How BookTok creators make money covers the wider set of BookTok income streams — affiliate links, platform programs, and direct reader payments like this one.

How do you get a reading-list offer live?

Decide whether readers usually want one quick pick or a full curated list, state exactly what they get, set your price and delivery time, connect your bank through Stripe, and publish. Brillay's how-it-works page and pricing page show that offers are available with no follower minimum and nothing to apply for.

To get paid, connect your bank through Stripe from your Brillay dashboard. Brillay supports creator payouts in 41 countries.

The credential contrast is worth naming. Professional readers' advisory is a credentialed job: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that librarians typically need a master's degree in library science to enter the occupation (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). On Brillay, a BookTok creator brings developed reading taste and audience trust, rather than a degree, to a recommendation offer. Describe your reading background accurately, and be clear that a recommendation reflects taste rather than a guarantee the reader will love every pick.

The same format works for bookstagrammers and YouTube BookTubers fielding the identical "what should I read next" request. How writers and BookTok creators can make money covers the wider set of paid offers that can sit on one page alongside it. The same viewers can also send you paid requests, with no threshold to reach: a written answer, a custom video, a commission, a tip or a contribution toward a named goal.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a publishing or bookselling background to sell reading lists?

No. You can test Paid Questions and Custom Work with no follower minimum and nothing to apply for, even when only a small group of followers already asks for your recommendations. What sells the offer is a track record of recommendations your audience already trusts.

Should I use a Paid Question or a custom request for a reading list?

Use a Paid Question when the follower wants one book in plain text. Use Custom Work when the follower wants multiple books, notes on each pick, a file to keep, or a voice walkthrough — Custom Work delivers "a written note plus up to 5 files … and/or a private link".

What should I charge for a five-book custom reading list?

There is no published market rate, so price on your time. Using the median wage of $68,270 a year for librarians reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2025, as an hourly anchor of roughly $33, a 60-90 minute five-book list works out to about $35-$50. That is illustrative arithmetic, not an earnings guarantee.

What if a reader asks for more books than they paid for?

A clear boundary — "five books, no swaps included" — prevents the ambiguity up front. The order covers the five books listed; if a reader wants a longer list, you can decline the request before starting or offer a second listing.

What does Brillay charge for a reading-list offer?

No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate. Payouts run through Stripe, whose published pricing lists 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic US card transaction, deducted separately from creator earnings.

Create your free Brillay page and turn the next "what should I read next?" comment into a paid, personalized reading list.